Smart New Zealand-bred four-year-old If I Have A Dream made full use of her favourable No. 1 barrier by leading all the way for her 20-year-old trainer-driver Chris Butt in the 2100m Find Thirty Every Day Mares Pace at Gloucester Park on Thursday night.
“I was pretty confident of winning when the fields came out and she had drawn the pole,” said Butt, who owns theBettors Delight mare in partnership with his mother Karen.
“She went a bit quicker every quarter and she was travelling that well around the bend that I thought I’d kick away,” Butt said. “I probably let Morgan (Woodley) out a bit early with Kintori. But I always thought If I Have A Dream would hold him.”
Kintori, who started from the inside of the back line and trailed the leader throughout, finished gamely to be a half-length from the winner who was hot favourite at 2/1 on.
If I Have Dream ended a losing sequence of 12 and looks set for a bright career. She won once from 12 New Zealand starts and now has had 30 starts in WA for seven wins and 12 placings. Thursday night’s victory boosted her earnings to $92,638.